August 2023 - General Weather Discussion

[SEMIweather]

We will be starting out August with a continuation of the heat wave that dominated the last week of July. Next 4-5 days will be hot and dry. OKC has topped out at 100F so far this year but may reach a degree or two higher than that during this timeframe depending on how well dewpoints are able to mix out in the mid-late afternoon hours. At some point over the weekend, the ridge will break down and allow a cold front to move through, which should knock 10-15 degrees off of our highs and finally bring back a return of precipitation chances. I'll make an educated guess and say that OKC will most likely be on the edge of the ridge for the remainder of the month. If this happens, we will likely alternate between bouts of heat, and occasional disturbances moving through with accompanying storm chances and reductions in temperature. All in all, I think that it's looking to be a fairly standard August for this part of the country. We shall see.

[Libbymin]

The AC in my car decided to break today. Needless to say, it was a steamy commute home today.

[BG918]

A few more really hot (100+) days then the heat dome begins to shift south and west allowing better rain chances all next week. First chance will be this weekend starting Saturday into Sunday. Not huge amounts but we'll take it. Better chances throughout next week with systems riding the NW flow from Colorado/Kansas, many of them overnight or early morning. Northern OK has the best chance of seeing the highest totals

GFS through this weekend

[Bunty]

Today, 8/3, was the hottest day this summer, so far, in my backyard with it being 105. 113 was the heat index. The hottest high ever was probably 115 in Aug. 2012. So things could be even worse.

Heat is expected to let up on Sunday when high is expected to be closer to 90 than 105. It may rain, too, hopefully.

[Pete]

I have got to find an alternative to Oklahoma summers... Maybe a cabin in Minnesota or something similar.

I get legitimately depressed by this weather -- it's just brutal and so hard on animals and people who don't have the luxury of sitting in a/c all day and night.

[Anonymous.]

At least we aren't south Texas. Austin is still dealing with extreme drought and worse temperatures. I believe today puts them at 26 days so far of 100F+.

If anyone wants to know where OKC would be without all the rain we got early summer, just look to the SW where they are on par with Austin. Top map is days of 100+, bottom map is current drought monitor.

[king183]

Have Oklahoma summers always been this hot or am I just getting older and hating the heat more? I don’t recall them being unbearable when I was younger, but maybe I tolerated it better.

[Pete]

Have Oklahoma summers always been this hot or am I just getting older and hating the heat more? I don’t recall them being unbearable when I was younger, but maybe I tolerated it better.

2011 was the hottest ever.

But 1980 was a close 2nd. I was a lifeguard on summer break from OU. Don't ask me how, but I sat in the full sun (no umbrella) 8-10 hours every day that summer and I doubt I even wore sunscreen. Temps hit 100 degrees 50 (!!!) times that summer. I remember the pool water was like a very warm bath and it didn't even cool you off.

Last summer was much worse than this one, but only getting above 100 a dozen times or so is hardly cause for celebration.


As a side note, I have a ton of friends that have moved to Austin from California. Now, they understand why California is so expensive... Of the 4 places I lived out there, 3 didn't have or need a/c. And in the 4th, I used it once or twice a year, maximum. Most summer nights were too cool to sleep with a window open.... sigh.

[chssooner]

Texas is worse. No matter what the weather is here, Texas is more humid, closer to the equator, and just in general worse. Houston is a swamp, Austin a sauna, same with San Antonio, and DFW. OKC isn't much better, of course, but it is worse there. There isn't any escaping it, either. Other places are either how or more humid (both garbage options). Moving north is all you have, but then the winners are terrible. A friend in Minnesota had a gas bill in January of $432, due to having to have the heat on 24/7 so his pipes didn't freeze.

[Pete]

One of my friends moved to Austin 3-4 years ago after about a decade in SoCal.

I traded messages with her yesterday and she said their neighborhood has a pool but it's too hot to even go over there. She seemed legitimately depressed. The newness of 'we were able to buy a house!' has long worn off.

I lived in Dallas one summer and it did seem significantly worse than OKC, and that's saying something.

[SEMIweather]

Texas summers are much worse than Oklahoma summers. At least in OKC, you can count on approximately 7 days per July/August that don't hit 90 degrees. In DFW and Austin, you're looking at maybe 2-3 days like that. And don't even get me started on the humidity in Houston.

Growing up in Michigan, summers were reasonably nice, but it still got uncomfortably humid a lot of the time. And of course, you can still go out shortly after sunset or before sunrise in OKC and have halfway decent temperatures even when the highs are hitting triple digits. Good luck living in Michigan and finding any decent weather to go outside in between the beginning of December and the end of February. So all in all, I greatly prefer the climate down here, though it certainly gets tough during extended heat domes like the one that's been parked over us for the past two weeks.

Side note - if you can handle the lack of precipitation, Colorado has one of the nicest climates in the country, temperature-wise. Humidity is low enough out there that nighttime temperatures are usually pleasantly cool even during the heart of summer, and winter cold snaps there tend to be relatively brief. But similar to California, the secret is out on that climate, and the cost of living there reflects that.

[brunnesa]

I have got to find an alternative to Oklahoma summers... Maybe a cabin in Minnesota or something similar.

I get legitimately depressed by this weather -- it's just brutal and so hard on animals and people who don't have the luxury of sitting in a/c all day and night.

I love this weather and think it is great because severe weather is usually nonexistent with this weather pattern. I think that severe weather every other day or so is not fun. Since I have had my house destroyed by a tornado,I tend to have some PTSD from severe storms.

[FighttheGoodFight]

I love this weather and think it is great because severe weather is usually nonexistent with this weather pattern. I think that severe weather every other day or so is not fun. Since I have had my house destroyed by a tornado,I tend to have some PTSD from severe storms.

I mean, severe weather is also pretty much nonexistent in the fall and winter too and I can actually go outside.

[brunnesa]

I mean, severe weather is also pretty much nonexistent in the fall and winter too and I can actually go outside.

We have our second severe weather season in the fall. Usually October and some of November. Usually have less severe storms during this time than the spring. Winter can have some good days, but anything below 50 degrees is not my preference.

[Libbymin]

During these hot days, it's pretty quiet outside in my yard during the hours of 10am-6pm as no one wants to be hanging outside during that period. Before and after, it's the constant revving mowers and weedeaters.

[chssooner]

So I guess we get a 3 day respite from upper 90s, and then it's back for a while?

[SEMIweather]

So I guess we get a 3 day respite from upper 90s, and then it's back for a while?

I think the next stretch of above average temperatures will start on Wednesday but is likely to be short-lived. Unlike the last two weeks, we should remain on the edge of the ridge which will allow for it to occasionally break down and open us up to storm chances. I'm sticking to the call I made when I started this thread that throughout much of August, we will likely alternate between bouts of heat and occasional disturbances moving through with accompanying storm chances and reductions in temperature. I don't think we'll have a week straight of MCS activity like we did at the beginning of July, but I also don't think we'll have a week straight of triple-digit highs like we're having at the moment.

[FighttheGoodFight]

I think the next stretch of above average temperatures will start on Wednesday but is likely to be short-lived. Unlike the last two weeks, we should remain on the edge of the ridge which will allow for it to occasionally break down and open us up to storm chances. I'm sticking to the call I made when I started this thread that throughout much of August, we will likely alternate between bouts of heat and occasional disturbances moving through with accompanying storm chances and reductions in temperature. I don't think we'll have a week straight of MCS activity like we did at the beginning of July, but I also don't think we'll have a week straight of triple-digit highs like we're having at the moment.

I like this forecast so I will choose to believe it.

[BG918]

I think the next stretch of above average temperatures will start on Wednesday but is likely to be short-lived. Unlike the last two weeks, we should remain on the edge of the ridge which will allow for it to occasionally break down and open us up to storm chances. I'm sticking to the call I made when I started this thread that throughout much of August, we will likely alternate between bouts of heat and occasional disturbances moving through with accompanying storm chances and reductions in temperature. I don't think we'll have a week straight of MCS activity like we did at the beginning of July, but I also don't think we'll have a week straight of triple-digit highs like we're having at the moment.

The models are keeping "the dome" over south Texas which helps us get more storms and "cooler" temps, especially across northern OK. The situation in Texas is increasingly bleak: Austin broke its all-time record for 100+ days today with 28 days straight of 100+ with no end in sight. No rain since June and no chances anytime in the next 2 weeks, though this time of year you sometimes see tropical systems head into TX from the Gulf.

Decent rain chances across the state starting Saturday night into Sunday morning. Sunday highs in the low 90's with rain-cooled air will feel really nice.

[okatty]

Coming a nice shower NW OKC this Saturday morn with some big thunder and lightening. I’ll take it!!

[BG918]

Rain and some embedded storms will be ongoing across northern OK the rest of the afternoon. A more potent line of storms should move down from Kansas overnight. Northern parts of the OKC metro into NE OK have the best shot at seeing heavy rain and damaging winds

HRRR model for 3 am Sunday

[PoliSciGuy]

Heckuva downburst from earlier today

https://twitter.com/wx_okla/status/1...vVzqhqaeg&s=19

[mugofbeer]

That is an awesome video!

[BG918]

More storms expected to move north to south overnight.

HRRR at 6 am Monday:

[SEMIweather]

Nice training storms this morning really keeping temperatures down across the Metro. Some decent rainfall totals as well for areas lucky enough to be in the line of fire.